Sheet registering mechanism

ABSTRACT

A device is disclosed employing no moving parts for quietly causing sheets of flexible material, especially fabric work pieces, to assume a desired position in a plane. A pair of adjustably mounted U-shaped edge gages respectively including an air flow device for directly air parallel to and along a surface of the work piece within the edge gage, has closed ends of the gages cooperating to determine selectively the position of the margin of the flexible material. The device has particular advantage when used in conjunction with an automatic fabric feeder, for example.

United States Patent Gray et al.

[151 3,656,744 51 Apr. 18,1972

[54] SHEET REGISTERING MECHANISM [72] Inventors: Richard W. Gray, 24 Lee Street, Apt. B-8,

Marblehead, Mass. 01945; Paul E. Morgan, 109 l-lighview Avenue, Melrose, Mass. 02176; Paul G. Rumball, 8 Laurel Street, Beverly, Mass. 01915 [22] Filed: Mar. 13, 1970 I [21] App1.No.: 19,256

[52] U.S. Cl ..271/60, 271/74 [51] Int. Cl ..B65n 9/04 [58] Field of Search .,271/58, 59,60, 74

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 98,253 12/1869 Gray et al. ..271/58 2,726,864 12/1955 Waechter ..271/59 1,068,477 7/1913 Bakke ..271/60 3,336,026 8/1967 Preuss ..271/60 X 2,823,030 2/1958 Backhouse et al..... ....L..271/59 3,370,847 2/1968 Weidman ....271/60 Primary Examiner-Joseph Wegbreit Anomey-Richard A. Wise, Richard B. Megley and Carl E. Johnson [57] ABSTRACT A device is disclosed employing no moving parts for quietly causing sheets of flexible material, especially fabric work pieces, to assume a desired position in a plane. A pair of adjustably mounted U-shaped edge gages respectively including an air flow device for directly air parallel to and along a surface of the work piece within the edge gage, has closed ends of the gages cooperating to determine selectively the position of the margin of the flexible material. The device has particular advantage when used'in conjunction with an automatic fabric feeder, for example.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 18 I972 v 3, 555,7

In van fora lP/c/zard h/Gray Paa/ E/Varyarz P044! 6 EumM/Z By their Attorney SHEET REGISTERING MECHANISM CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION Application Ser. No. 9185, filed Feb. 6, 1970 in the name of Paul Morgan discloses a pneumatic device for guiding the margin of a work piece.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Certain operations on work pieces require them to be precisely positioned. Flexible work pieces, especially light weight ones such as various types of fabric, are difficult successively to position uniformly because of their limpness, irregular shape and size, differing surface texture, etc. It is tedious manually to position piece after piece in contact with an edge gage, and more tedious to cause the pieces to contact a pair of spaced edge gages properly. While transfer mechanisms have been provided generally to locate a flexible work piece on a surface, the piece is often aligned at one edge with a gage while another angular edge of the piece is not uniformly positioned. As a consequence the non-uniformly oriented piece will often have ensuing operations performed thereon in an irregular and unacceptable manner.

In the various mechanical work engaging means hitherto provided for positioning, some have involved gripping elements, or frictional contacts operable in a cyclical manner, and required incidental control mechanism. In view of the simple function to be performed it is of course desirable that an inexpensive solution be provided for registering successive work pieces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing it is an objectof this invention to provide a simple and effective stationary device for uniformly registering sheet material, particularly fabric work pieces.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a machine having an instrumentality for performing an operation in a fixed operating locality, a pneumatic sheet registering device for accurately locating successive work pieces with respect to the operating locality.

To these ends and in accordance with a feature of the invention there is mounted on a planar work-supporting surface a pair of spaced U-shaped edge gages for defining the position of adjacent margins of work pieces, and means associated with each of said gages for flowing air therein generally parallel to and along the work piece toward their U-bent ends. Preferably, two or more of the gages are spaced to contact and position a longer marginal edge of flexible sheet material and a third U-shaped edge gage is provided for defining the position of another margin of the piece.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other features of the invention will now be more particularly described in connection with an illustrative embodiment, and with reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a portion of a shirt yoke label attaching machine employing this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of three edge gages cooperatively arranged on the work support shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of the edge gage shown in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A stack S of edge-aligned work pieces, such as shirt collar yokes Y (FIG. 1 is disposed to be transferred singly to a work supporting surface of a machine, for instance a machine for attaching labels L. A suitable fabric transfer mechanism, for example one employing spaced and laterally shiftable pick-off devices 12, is adapted to remove successive topmost yokes Y from the stack and deposit them on the surface 10. The position of each yoke on release from the pick-off 12 is indicated in dashed lines on the surface 10in FIG. 1.

Fixedly mounted (but preferably adjustable) on the surface 10 in any convenient manner is sheet registering means next to be described and comprising at least two U-shaped, angularly related edge gages 14 (FIGS. 1-3). As shown in FIG. 1, preferably two of the gages 14 are spaced to align the longer straight edge of the yoke Y, and a third gage 14 is disposed to fixedly locate another edge of the yoke.

Each gage 14 has, in integral relation, a smooth, flat worksupporu'ngstrip 16 upon which a yoke Y is slidable, a U-bend 18 to define a limit of movement in translation of a work piece edge engaged thereby, and an upper work constraining strip 20 spaced from the strip 16, and preferably in parallel relation thereto except for an upturned mouth portion 22. Where single plies of work are to be positioned, the strips 16, 20 are fairly closely spaced slidably to accommodate them, the reverse bend 18 being sufliciently sharp to provide a positive stop.

While the gages 14 are herein assumed to be substantially identical, it will be understood that they may differ in their width and length, and in other particulars such as the spacing of the upper and lower strips 16, 20. Each of the gages is provided with at least one air inlet 24, preferably in the under strip 16 and adjacent to the mouth portion 22, for flowing air generally parallel to the strip 16 and the yoke Y to be registered and toward the bend 18. A deflector 26 accordingly is secured on the strip 16 and overlies the inlet to redirect the air therefrom in a plane extending along the underside of the work piece as it is introduced into the gage 14. A single inlet is shown but it will be apparent that more than one may be provided and hence more than one air stream per gage directed toward its bend; for example one stream may flow parallel to and along the upper surface of the work piece, and similarly one beneath it. The relative movement of the stream with respect to the work provides, in effect, a low friction or air bearing support.

In the illustrative machine the pick-off devices 12 transfer each topmost yoke Y onto the surface 10 releasing the yoke in the dashed position shown in FIG. 1, i.e. with a leading edge portion sufficiently advanced laterally to be subjected to the further feeding influence of the air streams in the pair of gages 14 arranged to position the long edge of the yoke. The latter is laterally urgedagainst the aligned U-bend portions 18 and comes under the influence of the air stream of the third or end gage l4 and hence is slidably urged into end contact with the bend portion 18 of the end gage.

With the yoke contacting the three gage bends 18, its accurate position is determined and yieldably maintained. During this interval, as herein shown, a transfer arm 30 (FIG. 1) of the label attaching machine oscillates to pick off a label L from its stack and place it in the uniformly correct position for attachment to the yoke. While the label is being afiixed, other cyclical transfer means, herein partly shown in the form of two pairs of cooperating grippers 32, 34, rise together in their arcuate and parallel operating paths to seize a margin of the yoke and thereafter reverse direction to transfer and release the labeled yoke over a support 36 (FIG. 1). The supporting surface 10 is slotted as indicated at 38 to accommodate the grippers 32, 34.

The gages 14 are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and both quiet and economical in operation. Though not herein shown, a single valve may be associated with the inlets 24 to regulate the speed of air flow admitted to them, or a valve for each inlet may be employed. Thus, for instance, if it is found that stronger force should be exerted by the single end gage 14 to move the yoke Y endwise while being urged laterally by the other two gages 14, velocity and/or quantity of air flow to the end gage may be increased. Less air velocity is indicated when flirnsier work is to be positioned. The gages are accordingly found to be versatile in positioning many shapes and types of work, and useful in many different machines.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. For adjustable mounting on or adjacent to a work support predeterminedly to selectively position a piece of sheet material to be located thereon, a pair of angularly related and spaced U-shaped edge gages for defining the position of adjacent margins of the work piece material, each of the gages including means for flowing air therein toward their respective U-bends and generally parallel to and along a surface of that portion of the work piece within the edge gage.

2. A sheet registering mechanism comprising a plurality of respectively integral U-shaped edge gages arranged in the general plane of a work supporting surface for adjustable mounting thereon, at least one of the gages being shiftable to a selected angle to the remaining gages to accomodate an adjacent work edge in its U-bend, each of said gages having a pair of parallel flat portions and an open mouth portion for receiving a work sheet edgewise, one of said flat portions overlying the other in work constraining relation, an air inlet adjacent to the mouth portion, and means for directing a stream of air from said inlet toward the U-bend and generally parallel to and along an under surface of the sheet for slidingly urging its margins into contact with the respective U-bends. 

1. For adjustable mounting on or adjacent to a work support predeterminedly to selectively position a piece of sheet material to be located thereon, a pair of angularly related and spaced Ushaped edge gages for defining the position of adjacent margins of the work piece material, each of the gages including means for flowing air therein toward their respective U-bends and generally parallel to and along a surface of that portion of the work piece within the edge gage.
 2. A sheet registering mechanism comprising a plurality of respectively integral U-shaped edge gages arranged in the general plane of a work supporting surface for adjustable mounting thereon, at least one of the gages being shiftable to a selected angle to the remaining gages to accomodate an adjacent work edge in its U-bend, each of said gages having a pair of parallel flat portions and an open mouth portion for receiving a work sheet edgewise, one of said flat portions overlying the other in work constraining relation, an air inlet adjacent to the mouth portion, and means for directing a stream of air from said inlet toward the U-bend and generally parallel to and along an under surface of the sheet for slidingly urging its margins into contact with the respective U-bends. 